Ziklein: "…"
Erza: "…"
"Oh sorry, sorry. I'm just a very curious person. I hope I didn't interrupt anything important, right?"
Chase blinked innocently as he continued to lean in, his eyes locked directly on Ziklein's from barely a finger's length away.
"…You absolutely interrupted!" the Toad Man messenger snapped, stepping in for Lucy's usual role as the team's designated complainer.
Ziklein's eyelid twitched. "Chase… I'll remember this."
With a cold snort, he turned on his heel, waving a hand dismissively as he walked away.
"That matter keep it to yourself, Erza. It'll be better for both of us."
His voice, though calm, carried an unmistakable threat beneath the surface.
Erza stood rooted to the spot, her head lowered. The familiar name, the familiar tone, the familiar guilt it was all tangled together. A shadow crossed her gaze, a mix of anger, uncertainty, and unspoken history glimmering in her scarlet eyes.
Soon after, Chase and Erza were escorted into the courtroom.
The chamber was vast and cold, filled with the imposing silence of authority. The nine Council members were seated in a line high above, gazing down like judges in an ancient temple. Among them was Urrutia, wearing crisp white casual robes, her posture relaxed but her eyes sharp.
Presiding over them all, seated on the central throne, was the current Speaker of the Council Crawford Seam.
A balding man with a long beard and a famously naïve streak, Crawford would one day go down in history for transferring the key to "Face" into his own possession using an ancient relic… only to have his heart torn out by the Gate of Hell.
Of course, that fate lay ahead.
For now, he was simply one of many thought-projected avatars of the actual Council members, as Ziklein had hinted none of them were here in the flesh.
Chase and Erza stood at the base of the court, facing their judges from the defendant's podium.
Chase's eyes roamed the upper bench, taking in each Councilor with an almost casual air. Most were familiar faces he'd encountered before. A few were fringe members, hardly worth remembering.
Meanwhile, Erza stood with upright posture and somber eyes, facing the court with quiet dignity.
Crawford shifted in his seat, gaze lingering on Chase who looked less like a defendant and more like a tourist at a museum.
The speaker sighed quietly.
This guy… beat up a Council messenger on purpose. If it were any other guild, we'd shut them down for a few weeks as a warning…
But Chase wasn't just anyone.
He was the hero of the Ruins Island incident the same incident the Council had used to score major political points. And more than that, he was a member of Fairy Tail.
The troublesome Fairy Tail.
Crawford didn't want to deal with this longer than necessary. Best to wrap things up cleanly and send them back to Magnolia before any real trouble started.
He raised the small gavel in front of him.
Knock, knock.
The clear and steady tapping echoed across the cold courtroom, signaling the start of the trial.
"The accused is Erza Scarlet. The charges relate to the Curse Song incident caused by Iron Forest several days ago," Crawford announced gravely from his high seat.
"She is held responsible for the destruction of part of Osibana Station, extensive damage to the Lusica Gorge railway, and the complete obliteration of the Kulubala town meeting house."
"You are suspected of the aforementioned crimes. According to witness testimonies, the perpetrator was a red-haired woman in armor "
Boom!
Before the speaker could pronounce a verdict, an earth-shattering explosion blasted through the massive courtroom doors.
Smoke and debris scattered.
From the chaos, a figure stormed in, wild-eyed and dressed in what looked like scrap metal haphazardly strapped to his body.
"That's right! I'm the red-haired armored woman! I'm Erza Scarlet!!" the intruder roared confidently.
Everyone froze.
Flames billowed from his mouth as he struck a triumphant pose.
The moment the Council members laid eyes on him, recognition hit like a lightning bolt.
"Natsu?!" Erza gasped, utterly flabbergasted.
Chase, however, chuckled knowingly. "Hahaha, so they've finally arrived. Natsu or wait, Erza, I should say."
"…That was uncalled for." Erza deadpanned.
With a sigh, she pointed at Natsu and muttered, "I feel personally insulted by this impersonation."
That ghost doesn't look anything like me…
Predictably, what followed was chaos.
And so, despite the fact that the trial was practically resolved, the Council now had additional disruption to deal with.
As a result, rather than returning home as they could have, Erza and Chase were given the 'honor' of spending the night in the Council's holding cells a luxurious suite, as the guards sarcastically put it.
Inside the detention cell...
"You two… I don't even know what to say anymore." Lusa sat slumped on the cold stone floor, palm pressed against her forehead in a pose of pure mental exhaustion.
Natsu, sitting cross-legged and sheepish, scratched his head. "I really thought you were in danger! How was I supposed to know it was just formalities..."
Chase laughed and gave him a big thumbs up. "Well done, Natsu. Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I'd probably have done the same."
"…That's not something to be proud of," Erza muttered, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.
She glanced at both of them with a look that hovered between exasperation and disbelief. Was Chase truly here to support her… or just to stir up trouble?
To this moment, she still wasn't entirely sure.
Chase caught her gaze and asked suddenly, "But seriously don't you think it's kinda cool to risk your life for your friends, Erza?"
His voice was warm. Sincere.
Erza blinked. She turned to look at Natsu, who was rubbing the back of his head and grinning despite the scorch marks on his clothes.
After a pause… the corners of her mouth lifted into a faint, soft smile.
"…You're right."
"Anyway… Chase, Natsu… thank you, for everything today."
After saying this, Erza took a quiet step forward and gently pulled the two of them into an embrace.
Ding! Dong!
Two sharp, metallic clangs echoed in the cell as both of their foreheads slammed directly into Erza's armored chestplate.
"So hard!!" they groaned in perfect sync, staggering back with tears in their eyes.
The chaos faded soon after. Natsu, true to form, collapsed flat on his back and promptly dozed off, letting out deep, content snores.
He really can fall asleep anywhere… Chase thought, blinking.
Erza knelt beside Natsu with a small smile on her lips. Her fingers mischievously prodded his cheeks. At one point, she even pinched and stretched his face until he resembled the furious, puffy-cheeked Toad Man Messenger.
She giggled quietly, amused by her handiwork.
The Titania the mighty Fairy Queen feared across the continent was now squatting on a cold prison floor, gleefully teasing a sleeping boy like a mischievous big sister.
And she didn't seem the least bit tired of it.
She's always been like this, Chase mused as he watched from the sidelines. Ever since we were kids.
He let her play for a little while longer.
Then, his voice cut softly through the silence.
"…You still care about me, don't you?"
Erza froze.
Chase's smile faded slightly. "Earlier, when we ran into Ziklein… I saw it. The fear in your eyes. The panic."
He stepped forward, voice low but sincere. "What exactly is he threatening you with? What was that 'thing' he mentioned?"
He had already sensed something was off.
When they were locked up, Chase noticed this particular wing of the Council's prison was nearly deserted. No guards. No magical surveillance. It was too… convenient. As if someone deliberately placed them where no one would listen in.
When Erza heard his question, her entire body stiffened.
Her eyes widened. Her breath caught. She drew her knees closer to her chest, hugging them tightly.
"…Please, Chase," she whispered, almost inaudibly. "Don't ask."
Her crimson hair fell like a curtain over her face, hiding whatever expression she wore.
But her voice it shook.
Gone was the calm, commanding tone of the Scarlet Queen. In its place was something fragile. Haunted.
That one name Tower of Paradise it was like a phantom that clung to her soul. No matter how far she had come, it still lived in her memories. A scar that never truly faded.
Even after escaping that hellish place, even after finding new strength and freedom, the weight of the past of the lives lost and the choices made still bound her tightly.
And Chase could see it all, even if she wouldn't say a word.
Chase turned his gaze away from Erza, who had curled up slightly in the corner of the cell, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees.
He looked up toward the narrow, barred window high on the wall.
Moonlight spilled through the opening in a silver stream, painting the stone floor with its glow. It was cold, quiet, yet strangely gentle like a soft whisper against the dark walls of the prison.
"…Carrying all that pain by yourself must be exhausting," Chase said quietly, not forcing her to look at him.
His eyes remained fixed on the moonlight.
"If you never speak up, no one will ever know. No one will ever be able to help."
He turned back toward her then his voice steady, his expression sincere.
"Erza… are you willing to believe me?"
The words echoed softly in the stillness.
Erza slowly lifted her head, her eyes wide and uncertain.
She looked at the man standing beneath the moonlight, his silhouette framed in silver. His smile was calm, not forceful patient and warm, like someone reaching out a hand without demanding she take it.
Her breath caught.
Her body trembled.
She had always thought herself strong enough to carry everything alone. But in this moment, looking into those eyes, her defenses crumbled.
A single tear traced its way down her cheek, slipping past the edge of her bangs and falling silently onto her cold, hard armor.
That night, beneath the quiet moonlight inside the Council's lonely prison cell, Erza finally opened her heart.
For the first time, she told someone else about the nightmare of the Tower of Paradise.
And that someone was Chase.